Corroded .22 ammo

[D23]

Hey guys,
Found some very corroded old .22 ammo in my storage unit, most likely not safe to shoot. Not much, only about 50 rounds or so, I just don't know how to dispose of it. Any idea what to do with it? Will the fire department take it? Thanks!

[Steve_In_29]

Use a pair of pliers to pop off the projectiles (they come off pretty easy) and dump the powder out then throw it all away. You can dump the powder into a neat pile and light it with a match if you want.

[D23]

Thanks Steve, that didn't occur to me!

[CG of MP]

Call ahead and then take it to a local rifle range or the local PD and ask the people there to dispose of it.

The problem with disassembly is you still have the primers to deal with.

Some say that issue is resolved by dropping them in an oil bath, but then you have the oil to dispose of.... with a bunch of casings mixed in.

[Oceanbob]

As a long time reloader I have often dumped ammo that was green, tarnished...etc in my vibrating Dillon with crushed walnut media. They come out almost perfect.

[riftol]

As a long time reloader I have often dumped ammo that was green, tarnished...etc in my vibrating Dillon with crushed walnut media. They come out almost perfect.

Tumbling/vibrating ammunition is dangerous because its propellant is coated with a deterrent that controls its burn rate. Tumbling/vibrating ammunition can cause the deterrent to break down; if the deterrent breaks down the propellant's burn rate could increase.

[Huntsprig]

A number of years ago I was given a bunch of .22's with corrosion on the brass.
I cleaned them up with some steel wool and they worked with no problems.

[Fishslayer]

Tumbling/vibrating ammunition is dangerous because its propellant is coated with a deterrent that controls its burn rate. Tumbling/vibrating ammunition can cause the deterrent to break down; if the deterrent breaks down the propellant's burn rate could increase.

No. Lots of us tumble our finished ammo.

[riftol]

No. Lots of us tumble our finished ammo.

In Sierra's 50th anniversary reloading manual for rifle ammunition, 4th edition, there is a question and answer section on pages 18-31. When queried about tumbling tarnished ammunition Sierra's answer was "The simple answer is, 'No, don't do it.'"



Page 22:


Q: I have some loaded ammo that is pretty badly tarnished. Can I just put it in my tumbler and clean it up?


A: No. Aside from the possibility of a sharply pointed bullet striking a primer and causing a detonation, the deterrent coating may be altered which speeds the burning rate. Most tumblers would require the ammo to be tumbled for quite some time before it was thoroughly cleaned, possibly long enough to cause some breakdown of the powder to or its deterrent coating. The simple answer is, "No, don't do it."

[Shasta Frog]

Uh oh! Not the 'Should I tumble live ammo or not' debate. Lol

[Steve_In_29]

I wonder how much further off topic this thread will go?

[hermosabeach]

Are the bullets what's tarnished or the brass?

I had some old blazer where the bullets looked like hell- extreemly oxidized.

It shot fine

I would donate it to the local range if you don't want to bull the bullets.

Gun powder makes for a good fertilizer- but a box of .22lr will not have enough powder to fertilize much of anything

[The Gleam]

I've shot plenty of corroded ammo in the past, including .22LR, no issues. Any excessive issues I simply cleaned them up. Usually what I'll shoot in that condition are obsolete cartridges because of no other choice in buying new ammo.

What's on the outside is usually superfluous. Without photos, I can't say how bad yours is, but as ammo is typically constructed of non-ferrous alloys, the corrosion you see is usually very surface-only and superficial. Being .22LR, most any quality-made guns shooting the .22LR cartridge are stout enough to handle anything you throw into them.

Like anything else though, being safe can not be generalized or apply to all situations.

[Fishslayer]

Uh oh! Not the 'Should I tumble live ammo or not' debate. Lol

Which is better? Tumbling .45ACP or tumbling 9mm?

[D23]

Thanks for the responses, got busy last night so sorry for not getting back here sooner. They're pretty ugly, here's a photo:



they might clean up ok though, maybe I'll try that first.